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SWEDISH FORESTRY: APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING

In the coming years, forest abuse is planned to continue just as intensively to produce new products in the name of the climate crisis. Without a fundamental change of course, it will make the problem worse. The Forestry Act and state-owned Sveaskog only prioritize short-term profits without listening to other voices such as the Sami who have lived here since ancient times, without destroying nature.

Internationally, Sweden likes to boast about being an environmentally friendly and compassionate country, but in reality this is not true. When it comes to protecting forests among all countries in the world, Sweden ranks 99th, far behind Brazil, for example, which has been heavily criticized for deforestation.

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"Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely."
- Rapport från FNs expertpanel Ingovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service (IPBES), maj 2022

Globally, we are now living in a growing ecological crisis - what some scientists are calling the world's sixth mass extinction. The main cause is human alteration of land and sea environments.

In Sweden, for example, we see this in the replacement of our forests with forest plantations. Since 1950, about 60% of Sweden's forests have been clear-cut at least once and replaced with fragmented and species-poor woodlands. Only 10-15% of Swedish forests can now be classified as natural forests (i.e. forests that have developed naturally and therefore have high natural values) and 900 forest-dwelling species are now threatened with extinction.

A FIELD IS NOT A FOREST

Over the past 70 years, Swedish forestry has been completely dominated by so-called tract forestry. This involves the clear-cutting of forests followed by soil preparation and planting. Before the next harvest, there is clearing, two thinnings and often fertilizer application. The result is dense, even-aged pine and spruce stands that are not as resistant to forest fires, storms and insect attacks as more natural forests. This is even more critical as our warming climate is expected to increase the incidence of all three.

FORESTS SEQUESTER CARBON - WHEN LEFT ALONE

And then we need to think about carbon. As forestry companies and lobby groups like to remind us, forests are fantastic at sequestering carbon - but only when they are left standing. Since stumps in clearcuts release carbon dioxide, Swedish forests bind a total of 80 million tons less carbon than if they had not been harvested. At a time when the climate crisis is already having disastrous consequences in the global south, it is difficult to justify why such a simple and gentle method - preserving and restoring functioning ecosystems - should be rejected.

GIVING REINDEER BACK THEIR LIVING SPACE

Finally, Swedish forestry violates Sami rights to their traditional lands and is devastating to reindeer husbandry. In the last 60 years alone, forestry has resulted in the disappearance of over 70% of lichen-rich forest in Sweden. As a result, many reindeer have run off in search of food, many have starved to death, and many reindeer herders have had to rely on their reindeer to survive (learn more about reindeer herders' experiences of forest abuse here and here). In addition to reindeer husbandry, this destruction of natural forests threatens the Sami way of life. This is how the Sami Parliament describes it:

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FOREST EMERGENCY

More and more people are concerned about our forests and their future - and our own future. But what exactly is going wrong and what can we do? What needs to change? For those who want to know more, we have gathered some sources here:

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